On Monday I had my first job interview. It was a phone interview with X systems, a company based in __land dealing in medical software. Unfortunately more software than medical. Applying to XS has become a routine procedure in the life of a desi grad. Its like this after 12 standard you do B.E and then you do MS and then you apply to XS. That’s because they are one of the only companies who are actually expanding these days. So almost everyone applied to XS, that is all but me.

Their selection process consists of a phone interview in which you and a glib HR guy compare the weather in your home town v/s that of __land. Next step a written test, whose questions haven’t changed in the past 5 years. Almost every other person here had the answer key. And if you manage to copy the answers which you have mugged up accurately on their test paper, they call you to __Land to give you a tour of their company and try to impress you with a few power point presentations. And then they reject you.

Atleast that’s the trend I have noticed so far. Some unlucky ones drop out after the written “test”. Knowing all this I was not very eager to add my name to the growing list of resumes at their website. However I did and the next thing I know I was called for a phone interview.

As a special treat I didn’t get an HR person. The person who called me was a technical person who discussed the weather and the life style of people in __Land and the fact that X employees get their own offices with walls and doors . I spoke aa bit about my current research, impressed that I live , talk , breathe and spout code and expressed great eagerness to live in the arctic climes at __LAnd . In short I did it all…..All I can do now is ti wait for the next step…..if any!

That was my first interview in US.

However more firsts were in store for me. I ended the day with my first visit to the doc in US as well. It was my left eye that was the culprit. Monday night on wards it was blurred and irritating. By Tuesday I couldn’t go near any kind of light. I couldn’t switch on the light in my room. I could not walk to my lab because the sun was blinding me. It was quite a task to walk to the lab with my eyes closed. The moment I reached the lab, Sasha took one look at me and reached for the phone directory. “ You have to see a doc “ , he screamed. It was probably my bloodshot eyes. And that’s how I went to the doc.

Or so I thought..Turned out the first person whom I thought was the doc turned out to be a lowly attendent taking temperature and blood pressure and a routine eye test. The next person called herself a nursing practionier. She made me roll my eyes, shined a torch at my left eye ( which was pure torture) and then poured a yellow fluid into my eye and did the torch thing again. Finally she concluded that there was no scratch on the cornea ..although I have extreme sensitivity to light. Ah! You don’t say……

Reached home early , switched off ALL the lights, drew the curtains to avoid the street lamps , wore goggles while opening the fridge and cursed Mother Nature for choosing just that day to amuse herself with a few sparks of lightening. Each time the lightening struck there was a sudden illumination in the room and my head would start throbbing again. Finally I grabbed the cell and dived under the comforter where I talked and slept and stayed till the morning.

Another first I notched up this week was my first football (oops Soccer )match. The Brazil England quaterfinals. Till now I had managed to let teh soccer mania pass by without watching a single match. The fact that Vrushali took our TV and VCR helped.But I did watch the quarterfinals and am glad i did it. WOuld have been criminal to miss that Ronaldinho goal.

Oh yes there was another first in this week. My fame as a writer of SOP has spread. Sasha came up to me and aksed me “I heard you write”.

I looked at him blankly…
“SOP’s I heard you can write them well.”

Well, uh I muttered. He wanted one for his cousin in Russia who wanted to do her Masters in Politics. I was really sorry to decline the offer. I knew zilch about Russian ploitcs and much less about Russioan education. However I did send him a few of the SOPS I had written and an offer to prrof read his cousins.

That’s the week

OH! And Atha and Subha are back……….

Books
Bombay IceMovies
Khel
The Legend of Bhagat Singh. Twisted ,embellished history. But Devgan is cool and so is Sushant who played Sukhdeo. Its funny to think of their characterisation. Bhagat Singh as a strong slient type, Sukhdeo as the cool guy with attitude and Rajguru as a bumbling joker. Wonder how they really realy were….Websites
http://www-chaos.umd.edu/misc/ ( we were trying to select a vanity plate for Seejo’s new car….the current favourite is LRDRNGZ (Lord of the Rings…..remember Audi’s symbol is 4 entwined rings)
www.bombaydreams.com. ARRehman’s musical extravanganza… Too much of a repeat of old songs